Mechanical movement.



' No.64|,325; Patented Jan. I6, I900.

-- m. A. REPLOGLE.

MECHANICAL MOVEMENT.

(Applicafiicn filed Apr. 27, 1899.) (No Model.)

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W/TNESSES: lNVE/VTOR 4 4 ATTORNEY Nrrsn STATES PATENT Grams.

MARK A. REPLOGLILOF AKRON, OHIO.

MECHANICAL MOVEMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 641,325, dated January16, 1900.

Application filed April 2'7, 1899- Serial No. 714,638. (No model.)

To all whom it mag concern.-

Be it known that I, MARK A. REPLOGLE, a citizen of the UnitedStates,residing at Akron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in MechanicalMovements, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad therein to the accompanying drawings. v

This invention relates to mechanical movements wherein power or motionis transmitted from a revolving shaft to another revolving shaftsubstantially at right angles therewith; and the objects of theinvention are to produce a simplified and more efficient constructionfor the purpose, to provide a means for reversing the direction ofrevolution of the driven shaft without reversing the drivingshaft, andalso to vary the speed in either direction to any required gradation.

My device consists, essentially, of the construction, arrangement, andcombination of parts as herein specified, and illustrated in thedrawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of sufficient parts of amachine to display my movement. Fig. 2 is a view of the same, taken atright angles to that in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail View of part of theshifting mechanism used in the device. Fig. 4 represents one of theconcave disks constituting an essential element in my device. Fig. 5represents another similar disk,the pair being necessaryto operate thedevice most successfully. Fig. 6 is aview of a sphere mounted on ashaft, constituting one of the principal elements in my device. Fig. 7is a diagram showing the relations of the concave hemispherical membersand sphere when motion is not transmitted. Fig. 8 is a similar diagramshowing the relation of the sphere to the concave hemispherical memberswhen medium speed is transmitted in one direction to the sphere. Fig. 9is a similar diagram illustrating the relation of the concavehemispherical members to the sphere when higher speed is transmitted tothe sphere in an opposite direction to that shown in Fig. 8.

In the last three figures mentioned asubstitute method of driving theconcave hemispherical members is suggested, in that beltwheels 14 may bekeyed directly to the shafts revolvin g the hemispherical members andthe pair of wheels belt-ed to revolve in opposite directions.

Similar figures and letters of reference denote like and oorrespondin gparts throughout the several views. h

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates a sphere or substantially asphere having a regular smooth surface and being securely keyed to ashaft 2, passing diametrically through it, the said shaft journaled tothe bearings 3 3 on the frame or base plate 4. Running at right anglesto the shaft 2 and opposite the equator of the sphere are two shafts 28and 28 in line with each otherand revolving, respectively, in thebearings 5 6 and 5 6. These shafts have mounted on their inner endshemispherical pieces or disks hollowed out so as nearly to conform withthe exterior surface of the sphere which is interposed be- I tween them,suflicient space being left for the shaft 2 to revolve between the rimsof the hemispherical members. The interior concave surfaces of thehemispherical members are more properlydescribed as being that outlinedby a sphere of somewhat greater radius than the sphere 1, with whichthey are to be used, and they must each be considerably less than awhole hemisphere in order to accommodate the shaft 2, as explained.Contiguous to the concave hemispherical members 7 and 7 are the pinions8 and 8, keyed to the shafts 28 28, respectively, said pinions beinggeared with the double cog-gears 9 9, respectively, by means of which,in connection with the bevel-gear 10, the proper motion is transmittedto the hemispherical members from the shaft 13, adapted to be driven bythe belt 24 and belt-wheel 14.. A frame or yoke 15, bolted to thebase-plate 4 at 16 16, serves to complete the framework necessary, andhas secured to it pins 11 and 12, on which the double gear 9 and thebevel-gear 10 respectively revolve. The shaft 2 is provided with anelongated pinion 25 at one end adapted to be conable each by means ofset-screws 27 27". Suitable antifriction-balls 18 18 may be interposedbetween the ends of the shafts and the impinging portion of the flatsprings. The sphere and concave hemispherical members may have theirfaces constructed of any suitable friction metal or material, and forlightness the sphere may be cast hollow.

The operation of the device may now be explained. A continuous circularmotion in opposite directions is given the concave hemispherical members7 7 by means of the belt 24, connecting with a suitable driving-shaft.Now when the sphere 1 is centrally located some antipodal points of itsequator A will be in the vicinity of CL and a of the concavehemispherical members-that is, opposite points of its equator will becompressed by centers of the disks, but no circular motion will thus betransmitted to the shaft 2; but if the sphere is shifted in thedirection of the arrow until compression of the concave hemisphericalmembers is not central, but within lines, as b, c, or d, then itisevident that if there is sufficient pressure the sphere will be revolvedat a rate corresponding to the relative size of the circle I) or b ofthe concave hemispherical members with the circle I) of the sphere, andthefarther the sphere is pressed in the direction of the arrow thesmaller the circle of the sphere which will be in frictional engagementwith the hemispherical members and the larger the circle in thehemispherical members which will be in engagement with it, so that ifthe sphere is pressed in the direction of the arrow until the smallcircle d engages with the circles d cl of the disks, much greaterrapidity of revolution will be transmitted than when the frictionalcontact takes place in the vicinity of the circles c of the sphere and cc of the disks. It must also be noticed that in the 79 position thesprings 17 17 will not be strained so heavily, as not so much pressureis requisite; but in the c and d positions the springs will have theirmedium and maximum strain, respectively, and it is requisite there inorder to effect the same power in the driving-shaft, the leverage on itbeing less. For motion in the opposite direction the same lines in thehemispherical members engage in like manner with lines B, C, and D whenthe sphere is shifted from the central position in a direction oppositeto that of the arrow, and consequently the driving effect in the inversedirection will be in exact proportion to that of the other position.

From the peculiar constructionand operation of the device it is designedto keep itself Fig. 7 all points on the equator are equally liable tothe friction consequent upon contact I diately distributes the pressurefrom the center-as, for example, within a small circle a or awhile aconsiderable shift,as that shown in Fig. 8, will bring all of thefrictional contact somewhere between the lines I) and d, and the longerthe lines of frictional engagement the less the frictional efiect, and,vice versa, therefore the sphere having short lines of frictionalengagement where the hemispherical members have long ones it will wearaway in about the correct proportions to maintain a uniform effect for agiven amount of shifting. The diagram in Fig. 9 shows the relativepositions of the sphere and hemispherical members when shifted tosubstantially the D position, in which the springs are shifted to theouter ends of their course, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. Thesprings operate exactly in the same way, no matter'which direction theshaft 2 is shifted. If there is not sufficient pressure to drive thesphere orif the pressure is greater than is necessary to accomplish thework to be done, the springs 17 and 17 are adjusted to the propertension by means of set-screws27 and 27, and these springs should pressas nearly alike as possible, though it is evident the same efiect couldbe had without the cooperation of one of the hemispherical members; butI prefer to use two hemispherical members, one opposed to the other, asshown, and at about equal pressure upon them, so as to make a sensitivedevice and to relieve the lateral strain from the bearings 3 of theshaft 2.

The shifting of the shaft 2 endwise may be accomplished according to thenecessity of the circumstances in which the device is used.

I have found the device extremely useful in connection with thegovernment of powersupply. In such connection the centrifugal governormay be made to act directly or indirectly on the shaft 2. A drill orcutterhead might also be operated by the device, in which case thechange of speed and reversal of motion could be accomplished by directpressure with the hand or otherwise on the lever 19.

Having thus described the construction and operation of myinvention,what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A mechanical movement comprising a sphere mounted upon a shaftpassing diametrically therethrough, and the said sphere and shaftinterposed between revolving concaved hemispherical members revolving inopposite directions, the inner concave surfaces thereof being adapted tobe pressed into frictional engagement with the convex surface of thesphere for the purpose of transmitting a circular motion, in eitherdirection, to it, substantially as specified.

2. In a mechanical movement the combination of a revoluble shaft, asphere mounted on the same, a second revoluble shaft at right angles tothe first, a hemispherical concave friction member mounted thereon andthe- 7 for shifting the latter shaft so that the conto it from the saidmembers by friction, substantially as specified.

5. A friction-gear comprised in a concaved member mounted axially on arevoluble shaft, the concave surfaces thereof in frictional engagementwith a spherical body mounted axially on a revoluble shaft substantiallyat right angles to the first shaft as specified.

6. In a mechanical movement, a revoluble shaft having a spherical bodyaxially mounted thereon, a pair of opposing hemispherical concavemembers engaging laterally with the spherical body aforesaid and thesaid members axially mounted on the ends of revoluble shafts extendingat right angles with the shaft aforesaid, in combination with drivingmechanism adapted to revolve the said hemispherical members equally inopposite directions for the purpose of transmitting circular motion tothe spherical body substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MARK A. REPLOGLE.

Witnesses:

OSBORN EsYATE, W. OLIVER WISE;

